New Owner with Tropical Fish Tank Needs Help

This is a discussion on New Owner with Tropical Fish Tank Needs Help within the Freshwater and Tropical Fish forums, part of the Freshwater Fish and Aquariums category; -->
Hey Guys, Im new here and to fish keeping.
I have a 10 gallon tank with:
1 Dalmatian Molly
1 Red-eyed Tetra
1 Gold ...

I have a ph tester, an ammonia tester, I can use some help with how much to feed these guys, how ofter to do 25% (or whatever suggested) water changes, what the ph level should be, if the food Im feeding them is ok, and any other tips would be great!

I have a ph tester, an ammonia tester, I can use some help with how much to feed these guys, how ofter to do 25% (or whatever suggested) water changes, what the ph level should be, if the food Im feeding them is ok, and any other tips would be great!

Welcome Brandon! You have some pretty hardy fish, so as far as ph, it's best to not try to adjust it, but go with whatever your ph is out of your tap. Get a good water conditioner, like Prime. If you tank is not cycled, you will likely getting ammonia soon, which is deadly for fish, so be prepared to do water changes very frequently, to save your fish. After that you'll see nitrites, which are even more harmful. You should get a test kit for nitrite, and nitrates also. When your tank is cycled, you'll start seeing nitrates, which are okay, as long as they don't get high. Weekly water changes of 50% will keep your fish healthy. Also, your tetra will do much better if you get another 4-5 of them, as they are schooling fish. Don't add them now though, until your tank is cycled, which can take about 4-6 weeks. Feed very sparingly as overfeeding will create ammonia spikes. Once a day is plenty. Get a high quality flake food, like Omega brand.

If you can get live plants, that will also help with your tank and speed up cycling, though that will take a number of plants. What kind of substrate are you using?

live barriers are'nt my thing but some response is better than none. i feed once a day for appx. 3 minuntes with flake food. heavier foods such as blood worm and brime shrimp about one thrid of that time. water changes start with 25% per week, it depending on how much waste your fish produce and how big your tank is. you will be able to tell when you vaccum. push the wand gently through the gravel down to the glass, if lots of debri is churned up increase frequency and amount of water change. adjust as you go with small changes. smaller tanks with lots of fish need more attention than bigger tanks with less fish and they are harder to take care of because you are dealing with such a small amount of water.

live barriers are'nt my thing but some response is better than none. i feed once a day for appx. 3 minuntes with flake food. heavier foods such as blood worm and brime shrimp about one thrid of that time. water changes start with 25% per week, it depending on how much waste your fish produce and how big your tank is. you will be able to tell when you vaccum. push the wand gently through the gravel down to the glass, if lots of debri is churned up increase frequency and amount of water change. adjust as you go with small changes. smaller tanks with lots of fish need more attention than bigger tanks with less fish and they are harder to take care of because you are dealing with such a small amount of water.

Just want to clarify something. When you feed for 3 minutes, you mean you give the fish enough that they can consume in 3 minutes, right? I never feed that much, but perhaps that does work for some. I have lots of plants, and I always want to keep my nitrates below 10ppm. I do have a larger bio-load that Brandon however. I've heard the rule of thumb is no more than your fish can consume in 2 minutes.

Like the asian theme tank set up Brandon. Looks very nice. Are you putting more fish in that tank, or just what you have now?

I have a ph tester, an ammonia tester, I can use some help with how much to feed these guys, how ofter to do 25% (or whatever suggested) water changes, what the ph level should be, if the food Im feeding them is ok, and any other tips would be great!

Just want to clarify something. When you feed for 3 minutes, you mean you give the fish enough that they can consume in 3 minutes, right? I never feed that much, but perhaps that does work for some. I have lots of plants, and I always want to keep my nitrates below 10ppm. I do have a larger bio-load that Brandon however. I've heard the rule of thumb is no more than your fish can consume in 2 minutes.

Like the asian theme tank set up Brandon. Looks very nice. Are you putting more fish in that tank, or just what you have now?

Gwen

I am going to add another Red-Eye Tetra as advised.
Im just not certain on how much to feed all 6 of these little guys, like .. a pinch or what.. not sure, and once a day is enough? The jar says 3x a day but they dont know how many fish/ or what kind I have lol

I am going to add another Red-Eye Tetra as advised.
Im just not certain on how much to feed all 6 of these little guys, like .. a pinch or what.. not sure, and once a day is enough? The jar says 3x a day but they dont know how many fish/ or what kind I have lol

-Thanks a lot!

I guess manufacturers of fish foods want to sell more of their products, so they recommend several feedings daily. This is way to much for most fish. Fry need more regular feedings but beyond that once a day is sufficient for mature fish. It is a good idea to skip a day or two each week, say the water change day.

Fish will always "appear" hungry, it is their natural instinct to eat whenever they find food. A hungry fish is a healthy fish. The prepared foods available today are highly nutritious. Feed once a day, earlier (but no sooner than a half hour after the tank light comes on) rather than later if you can, as fish will naturally be more active earlier and it gives them plenty of time to digest the food before darkness. Feed only as much as the upper fish clean up in a couple of minutes; substrate fish are slower feeders so they may peck away at sinking foods for an hour or more, that's fine.

I guess manufacturers of fish foods want to sell more of their products, so they recommend several feedings daily. This is way to much for most fish. Fry need more regular feedings but beyond that once a day is sufficient for mature fish. It is a good idea to skip a day or two each week, say the water change day.

Fish will always "appear" hungry, it is their natural instinct to eat whenever they find food. A hungry fish is a healthy fish. The prepared foods available today are highly nutritious. Feed once a day, earlier (but no sooner than a half hour after the tank light comes on) rather than later if you can, as fish will naturally be more active earlier and it gives them plenty of time to digest the food before darkness. Feed only as much as the upper fish clean up in a couple of minutes; substrate fish are slower feeders so they may peck away at sinking foods for an hour or more, that's fine.

Byron.

thank you very much!
That is very helpful advice!
I am going to do a 25% water change on the 7 day mark, does this continue throughout the entire duration of my fishkeeping ie. Forever?
Just wondering.Posted via Mobile Device

thank you very much!
That is very helpful advice!
I am going to do a 25% water change on the 7 day mark, does this continue throughout the entire duration of my fishkeeping ie. Forever?
Just wondering.Posted via Mobile Device

Yes.

I have changed half the water in all my tanks every week (once weekly) for 20+ years. Most of us consider the weekly water change essential to healthy fish. The volume can depend a bit on the tank, live plants, etc., but once a week is a good habit to get into. Choose a day when you will normally have the time, say Saturday or Sunday morning if you are in school or work. Regularity is more likely to be "regular."